Sleeper Cell
by Anarthyst
Summary: Amethyst is worried about Homeworld and the possibility of another Gem War. She finds soon enough that it’s not another war she needs to worry about, as she learns something about the first one that no-one told her before. [AU based off of fan theory]
1. An Empty Battlefield

_This is my first fic! I've had practice doing literate RP and I think I've got a really good idea, so don't go easy on me in the reviews or anything. Although this is up to date with the canon, I wanted to characterize Steven more like he was in Season 1._ _I'll let the story do the rest of the talking..._

"He will be ready for it when the time comes." "He will be our king." "He will lead us." "Trust in him. Trust in him. Trust—"

 **Chapter One: An Empty Battlefield**

"Amethyst! What do you think you're doing, lazing around on that couch so late in the day? We have a mission!" Amethyst woke up on the couch to see Garnet and Pearl standing on the Warp Pad. "Wow, P, I just had the weirdest dream!" "We can talk about that later. Now where is Steven?" Garnet pointed wordlessly towards Steven's bed, where he was packing some snacks for the way. "Be there in a second, guys!" he called, and soon enough he was on the pad right next to Amethyst.

"Hey, I remember this place!" Steven took out his backpack and fished out a flyswatter. "The butterflies better watch out, I'm armed and dangerous! Right, Garnet?" Garnet gave Steven a little grin as they stepped off the pad and into the Strawberry Battlefield. "As I was saying earlier, there were some gem weapons left behind here that need to be collected. They may serve us well if Homeworld presents a threat in the future." Amethyst winced. "If"? "Future"? She knew Pearl wasn't stupid. She was probably just trying to keep everyone from thinking about it all too much, but Amethyst couldn't keep her mind off of it anyway. At least Pearl and Garnet actually fought in the war; what did she know? The hardest thing she ever did was fuse with Steven and fight Jasper—a single Quartz soldier stranded on the planet with nothing, and it still took Amethyst so many tries and Steven's help to beat her. How could she fight Homeworld?

"As far as battlefields go, it's pretty neat. A dozen large weapons, hardly any small ones, not even one shard..." "Do NOT talk about that sort of thing so FLIPPANTLY, Amethyst!" snapped Pearl. "...whoa, dude. Sorry." "I fought here, you know. It was the most terrifying thing I've ever done, and none of the survivors would ever be the same gems we were before. I don't like hearing that kind of talk from you." Garnet was quiet for a moment, then added, "She's right, you know. You should have more respect." Amethyst kicked a strawberry.

The seven swords, three axes and one light cannon (a pale green cannon, obviously of different make than Rose's, and unresponsive to any hot dog-based aphorisms) that they brought home were changing Amethyst's mood from mildly grumpy to excited. "Pearl, please! They're only swords. It's not like we can't find other ones. All I'm asking for is one, just one itty-bitty little sword for my traaaash piles!" Pearl sighed as she stepped off the warp pad and towards the Temple door. "Fine. You get one sword. This one looks kind of tacky, so you can do whatever with it as long as I don't have to see it." Amethyst grinned as she took the sword off of Pearl's hands and swung it around with, uh, utmost grace. "Lookit me, Steven! I'm the fifth Musketeer! Hyah, hyah!" Steven giggled a bit, and then went to the fridge. "Want anything, Amethyst?" "Nah, I got stuff in my room. Later, Ste-man!"

No, that didn't make any sense at all. It wasn't particularly worrying, but it certainly didn't make any sense. Maybe it was a prank? She wasn't sure why, or how. The sword didn't seem like it was meant to be a sword at all. In fact, under light pressure, Amethyst could snap it in half like polystyrene foam. She stared at that broken sword for a little while.

 _Boom, chapter one! Reviews highly encouraged. I should be able to get to chapter two within the week. Peace, y'all!_


	2. Never Speak Of This

It was probably Pearl's idea of a joke. Amethyst wasn't sure how Pearl snuck a foam sword along with them, but she probably just didn't want Amethyst to break the others. "She thinks she can fool me, huh? We'll see who's fooling who!" "Who is fooling _whom._ " nagged the little Pearl in her head.

 **Chapter Two: Never Speak Of This**

"Ugh, I thought she'd never leave." said Amethyst to herself as Pearl stepped out of the Temple door and went to collect Steven's laundry. "Uh, P? I'm going to my room to, like, eat some junk. You want anything?" "No, Amethyst, we've been over this before. Don't let me catch you stepping out of your room and tracking dirt around the house again." "Whaaaatever." Pearl stepped outside with the basket and Amethyst sighed, relieved. She went into her room and looked up at the waterfall leading down from Pearl's room. "Never thought I'd have to do this again." She shifted herself into a salmon and made her way up the waterfall one jump at a time. Finally she had made it into Pearl's room, on top of the central fountain where she kept all her swords. Meanwhile, Pearl was halfway up to the Temple Statue's hand when she realized she had forgotten the clothespins. "Oh! How awfully forgetful of me!"

"A little on the small side... too boring... kinda cool... Whoa, what's that?" Amethyst said as she happened upon an elegant scimitar of ornate design. "This is the best one! Oh, ho ho, Pearl is always keeping the best stuff!" The door opened, and Amethyst panicked. _SNAP!_ Pearl looked up at Amethyst, standing on top of her central fountain, holding one of her most treasured swords in two pieces. It had snapped like it was made of foam.

"What in the high, holy name of Rose Quartz are you doing with my sword?!" Pearl yelled as she clambered up to the top, almost angry enough to draw her spear. Amethyst could hardly say anything. "The— the sword, it— it's not even—" "Give me that!" Pearl grabbed the two pieces of the sword. It felt exceedingly light in her hands, not much like a steel sword at all. "I-is this some kind of sick joke, Amethyst?! Shame on you!" Pearl was looking nervous, not angry, which only confused Amethyst more. "I don't know what happened, Pearl! I thought this was the real thing! It came out of your collection, look!" Amethyst pointed to the empty spot in the collection. "Then, you, uh... you hid it! You hid the real sword, and you made this replica somehow. This is all a big trick to get your hands on my swords, that's what it is!" Pearl was looking _very_ nervous now. "Uh, P? I'm not gonna pretend that isn't something I would do, but seriously, this isn't me. Look, I'll turn my whole room over, and—" "No." "What?" "Amethyst, I forbid you from speaking about this again. It didn't happen. I'll let you off the hook for this little incident as long as you promise to forget everything that happened. Do you understand me?" Amethyst didn't know what to say, but she nodded. "Good. Go back to your room and have a snack."

Amethyst nibbled on a tire iron for hours after that, alone in her room.


	3. My Little Brother

_I've gotten a little positive feedback, which is nice! The fan theory in question is one of my own making, but y'all are gonna have to wait a little to find out. No spoiling the surprise!_

It was really windy at the top of the hill, and some snow had fallen last night, so everything was covered in a light powder that gave the town a very ethereal look. "Hey, Steven. Can we talk?"

 **Chapter Three: My Little Brother**

"I don't know what to say, Amethyst." Steven looked so little, wrapped up in his coat and hood and wearing those red mittens he liked so much. "I mean, it's not like I lost track of the sword somehow. It was in the field, then we found it, brought it home, I took it to my room... I didn't lose sight of it for a minute. Was it fake all along?" "Uh, Amethyst, didn't you say something about Pearl not wanting you to talk about it?" "Yeah. So what?" "I already swore off lying to you guys about each other! Remember Secret Team?" "Aw, come on, Steven! It's not like knowing about it will hurt you or anybody. You agree Pearl was acting really weird, right?" Steven stood up. He looked taller, somehow. He seemed frustrated, but calm—almost mature. "No, Amethyst, I don't. I think you're acting really weird, and I think I need to go talk to Pearl." "Steven, what are you talking about! Don't tell her!" Steven had already turned around and was running down the hill, with Amethyst chasing after him.

"Pearl! Pearl, Amethyst told me about the plastic swords!" Steven burst in the door of the house just as Pearl was finishing with the dishes. "She told you what?! How dare she!" Pearl stepped outside to see Amethyst running up the stairs, and stared her down. "You know what I think, Amethyst? I think you misunderstood the purpose of all this." She walked down to Amethyst and grabed her by the front of her shirt. "You think I told you not to talk about it because I didn't want other people to find out?" Amethyst could only stutter. "I told you not to talk about it so you wouldn't think about it. This is none of your business and I would appreciate—" she said this word very slowly— "you not being so nosy. It doesn't matter what the swords are made of, because they aren't yours and you will never see them again. Is that clear?!" Amethyst nodded and said nothing. "Good. I expect better behavior from you in the future. You're dismissed." The whole time, Steven stood by and said nothing.

Steven was like her little brother. She could trust him when she wanted to keep secrets. He was understanding, and kind, and above all he loved her. She couldn't hold him accountable for one little issue, he wasn't any less of her little bro just because he ratted her out once. She had to trust him. Trust him. Trust in him...

"Trust in him. Trust in him. Trust in him."


End file.
